Shadow and Light
by rose-lazuli
Summary: Obito kills Naruto, forcing Hinata to deal with a pain that he knows all too well. When her reaction to her loss fascinates him, it sets them on a path—and a set of challenges—that they could have never imagined.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Hi! This is my first Naruto story! No flames please! And I hope you enjoy! :)

**NOTE ON EVENTS BEFORE BEGINNING OF THE STORY: As of writing this chapter 643 is out. I'm having this story take place in the future. It is assumed that Naruto, the Hokages, and Sasuke were able to remove the bijuu from Obito. This greatly weakened everyone involved.**

Hinata dimly felt her bruised knees hit the rocky earth as she powerlessly gazed at the scene before her. As quickly as a hollow breath left her, she saw Naruto's body arch back at an unnatural angle as a liquid flash of crimson sprayed out in a long arc under the glow of the moon. She felt rather than heard the scream that erupted from her very marrow as she saw that Naruto's body had been vivisected, the force of the blade against his flesh and bone scattering parts of his body across the battlefield.

She was no Tsunade or Sakura, but even she knew there was no coming back from that.

_No, _another part of herself, the part that Naruto's unfading light had nurtured, objected. _He can survive this—if anyone would be able to survive this, it would be Naruto. _

Her bloody feet were racing across the uneven earth before her mind could fully assimilate the decision her heart had made, and then she was before Obito, or Tobi—or whoever her was—as she heard Sakura scream for her from the distance.

By now, the Team 7 member should have known that begging her would be useless.

Tobi tilted his head. "Why are you bothering to defend a dead man?"

_No…No, I'm just buying him time! Sakura—Sakura can tend to him if I can distract Tobi._

Hinata surprised herself by jutting her chin at him, even if the miniscule movement of her neck could barely be counted as a show of defiance. "H-have you forgotten what I told Naruto?"

Obito chuckled. "And did you hear what I said? 'Your feeble words and principles are going to be proven wrong.'" He looked at Naruto's mangled body. "And they were."

Hinata felt heat rush to her ears, as it always had in the few times in her life when she had been furious. "Do you think I—or anyone—is going to give up now? Naruto was more than a body—his spirit will always drive us forward!"

Tobi's eyes narrowed, the purple and red clearly analyzing her for the first time. "Why don't you want to escape this hell? It is obvious to me that you loved the kyuubi. And now his blood runs cold into the ground. Could anything be more painful to live with than his loss? Or perhaps you didn't love him as much as your actions sugges—"

"Don't you dare say that, you son of a bitch," Hinata yelled, her words causing a blush to rise to her tear-soaked cheeks.

To Hinata's surprise, Tobi seemed suddenly confused. "Then why don't you want to escape this? What you will be living in now is a world full of shadow. It is a reality of pain, of suffering, of emptiness. Of loneliness. In the world I will create, you could be with Naruto. He would be alive and he would love you. You would be together."

Now it was her turn to be confused. "Why would you ever think that anyone would want that? It wouldn't be real! And it certainly wouldn't be what Naruto would wish for! I will never do anything that would go against everything he stood for!" Her eyes locked with his. "There can be no shadow without light, Tobi. And Naruto will always be a light for me. His words, his memory would always be the light in the shadows. And that is what I would live for—his light."

Before Tobi could object or her shock-ridden mind could, once again, follow her heart's actions, her Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists were activated and she was fighting the leader of the Akatsuki. Though he had been greatly weakened and he still seemed confused, and therefore distracted, by something she had said, his skill was still far superior to hers. He dodged her attacks and she sustained moderate injuries from his blows as the battle continued and continued. She could swiftly feel the precious chakra Naruto had loaned to her being drained, and she was starting to feel the cold burst of fear at her rapidly approaching defeat.

In a final attempt, she gathered what strength that remained and dived at him again, faking as if she were going for his stomach, hoping that it would force him to step back onto a slightly more uneven patch of earth and that it might put him even the slightest bit off balance.

_It worked!_

Hinata instantly deactivated her technique and shot her fingers towards his Rinnegan, blocking the chakra points that fed into his eye and blinding it.

Tobi grabbed her throat, hoisting her off the ground. Her weakened body could barely fight off the darkening around the edges of her eyes, but she was able to hit the chakra points that controlled the grip of his hand, forcing him to release her. In the brief second of his surprise at her resilience, Hinata went for his Sharingan as he dove for her heart.

_Please, please just let me get the hit in in time—_

She got one of the chakra points and the agony it caused made his hand miss its mark. The sharp pain of a kunai making a small cut just above her right breast broke through her adrenaline and shock fog, stilling her for a long moment—

Tobi took his opportunity and raised the instrument again, aiming for her stomach—

In a flash, Kakashi had pinned his arm, followed closely by Gai and then a swarm of others as they took their only chance at defeating him.

"Don't kill him," she heard Kakashi order as Temari made a particularly brutal hit. "We need him for information."

Numbness quickly dimmed the rest of their cries.

Though she could barely stand, Hinata made her way over to Naruto and Sakura, who had started to tend to him as the others had rushed to restrain Tobi. As she looked at the only female member of Team 7's face, her heart clenched painfully in her chest.

_No…._

Sakura shook her head hopelessly, her shaking body mirroring her own as teary green met tear overridden pale lavender.

"He's….He's dead."

Hinata felt Naruto's now cold blood as it hit her knees, the crimson seeping into the tattered remains of her pants. For a moment, nothing but the stilling numbness of heartbreak seized her brain. And then, dimly, she heard her own cries again, coupled with her erratic breaths and thundering heart.

_He-he can't…. Naruto… was so strong…._

_Was…._

Her tears fogged Sakura's form as the fellow medic-nin came over to hug her, the contact causing her to jolt.

Suddenly, the image of all that she had seen and all that could be heard became clear in Hinata's mind. The moon hanging over them, the sounds of Tobi being restrained, the cries of those around her… the parts of Naruto that were scattered about them, and, lastly and, with a haunting clarity that she knew would plague her dreams forever: the image of the expression on Naruto's bloody face.

Shock. And a deeper sadness than she had ever seen grace his features.

He hadn't met his vow to become Hokage.

He hadn't been able to keep his word.

The scream that broke from Hinata's lungs silenced everything around her, and as the reality of his passing finally ran like ice through her veins, she was glad that the sounds around her left, but one thing wouldn't.

His face.

_His face._

She began to see her vision fade, felt her body turning slack. For the first time in years, she couldn't fight the onslaught of a fainting spell. As she fell backward, out of Sakura's shock-loosened grip, Naruto's face finally faded as shadow overtook her.

**Author's Note:**

I feel so bad having to kill off Naruto! He is one of my favorites, but it had to be done to make my plot work. Also, I felt that I should mention Sakura's place since she is included in this fic. I won't be bashing her, and I will be treating her as having platonically loved Naruto and as one of Hinata's friends.

Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Hinata was first aware of her own exhaustion, followed swiftly by the soreness that was spread in equal measure throughout her body. Next, she felt the stiff bed beneath her and then her eyes were opening on her, even though she wasn't ready—

Kiba was there, his face lighting up when he saw that she was awake.

"About time," he said.

Hinata glanced at the hospital room. "How long," she said, her voice cracking from more than the dryness of her throat.

"A week," Kiba said, his voice growing solemn.

Hinata's eyes found the single window in the room. She must have been on one of the upper floors, given that all she could see was the spotless expanse of the blue sky.

_It's amazing that it's not shadowed by clouds. _

She drew in a rattling breath. "Have they buried him?"

"They wanted to wait until you were able to be there."

She felt her hot tears running down her face, the droplets gliding smoothly over her cheek before beginning their ragged decent down her ears before soaking into her hair and the pristine pillow.

"Sakura says you should…be able to tomorrow."

"Should…."

As she thought of the brave words she had said to Obito, she almost wanted to laugh at herself.

_Where is your bravado now, Hinata?_

She inwardly shook herself. _Naruto wouldn't want this!_

"W-were there any more casualties," she asked, turning to him. "Did we defeat Madara?"

"We killed him," Kiba said, smiling wolfishly, like he always did when he remembered a particularly satisfying victory. "And no one else that we know died."

"That much is good."

Kiba frowned at her. "It's gonna get easier, Hinata."

Hinata nodded, the statement warming her heart a little. "How is everyone else handling it?"

"Sakura has taken it the worst of the remaining eleven," Kiba said, his eyes darkening. "Though the Uchiha has helped her quite a bit."

"Sasuke isn't in trouble?"

"He was the one who killed Madara. And he said he was finishing him for Naruto's memory—for the future that Naruto wanted."

Kiba's face said it all.

"You don't believe him," she said.

Kiba scratched the back of his head nervously. "Yeah, I don't—but the rest of 'em do, so I guess I'm just bitter."

At that moment, the door opened, revealing Sakura. The pink-haired medic tried to force a genuine smile, but failed. As she appeared to become frustrated with herself, Sasuke came in behind her, his hand subtly taking hers.

_At least she has someone to comfort her like that. _

She didn't want to think about how utterly untrue that was for her. "Sakura," Hinata said, failing at her own attempt at a smile.

"I'm glad you are awake," Sakura said, the statement warming her voice a little.

"Thank you."

There was a short, awkward pause. "Your injuries are essentially healed, but you are still suffering chakra exhaustion. I think you should remain here for the night." She exchanged a wary glance with Kiba.

Hinata's stomach sank.

"Um, Hina," Kiba said, uncharacteristically at a loss for words. "Hiashi was more than pleased with your performance during the war, but…uh…when you collapsed after Nar… after all that, he…ah…he deemed it best that he appoint Hanabi as heir."

Hinata shrunk in on herself, a technique she had truly perfected in her nearly eighteen years. The shame that crawled through her skin was dulled slightly by the pain in her heart, but, then again, she also seemed to be processing everything at a slower pace than was usual for her.

After all, how was she supposed to take all of this, in its entirety, so quickly?

"When is the succession ceremony planned?"

"It's tonight."

"Oh."

Kiba gently patted her arm. "Hey, Hiashi seemed really sorry," he said, his gaze forcing her to focus on him and not the white walls. "And you know I don't like givin' your father any complements."

Hinata nodded meekly, her heart processing that his statement really did mean something—even if her mind had other ideas.

"Anyway, we, uh, all figured you might be embarrassed by all that and with everythin'….Well, Hiashi said you could stay with us Inuzukas if you wanted to be away while the rest of the Hyuga adjusted."

"Did he offer it or did he _suggest _it?"

"Offer," Kiba said. "It was a real offer."

"And I'm assuming that my belongings have been brought to one of the satellite houses?" It was the usual practice once the line of succession was decided upon.

"You've been given the residence closest to the main house."

That was an honor she had never expected. "I would like to stay with you, Kiba. If it isn't any trouble."

"None at all," he said with a smile.

Hinata smiled a little. At least she could count on her comrade.

"Where is Shino," she asked.

"He's outside," Sakura said. "We wanted to make sure you were ready for any more visitors before we let anyone else inside."

In a moment, Shino was in the room. Though he was usually unreadable, this time he was free in showing his sadness.

"How are you faring, Hinata," he asked.

"I'm alright," she said, even as her mind and heart truthfully drew a blank at the question.

No one was fooled by her statement, but at least they humored her.

Shino sat in the chair adjacent to Kiba's. "What you said on the battlefield was very stirring," he said, making Hinata blush. For some reason, Shino was always first to praise her.

"It's true," Sasuke said. "It rallied everyone."

Shino's glasses locked on her. Even though she could not see his eyes, she knew that he wanted her to pay very close attention to what he was about say.

"You should never lose faith in your own words," he said.

Hinata's eyes widened, her heart tightening in her chest. For the first time since she had woken, all that had occurred on the battlefield wound itself firmly within her mind, and as she remembered Naruto's valor and…her very own words, she felt her resolve starting to pass her reactive anger and lingering sadness as it began to take root within her heart.

Hinata gave her first real smile. "Thank you."

Shino nodded, and for a moment she thought she saw the top of a smile peek out from his jacket.

A nurse entered, quickly whispering something to Sakura before disappearing.

Now it was Sakura's turn to smile. "Hinata, Kurenai is still in the hospital if you would like to see her and the new baby," she said.

"I really can?"

"Yeah. You're definitely strong enough to walk."

Despite Sakura's words, Kiba still helped her stand, and he remained within arm's reach as they made their way to Kurenai's room.

As Sakura opened the door, Hinata could hear the baby cooing.

"You have some visitors, sensei," Sakura said, letting them in.

Kurenai looked up from her infant and smiled at them all, her eyes finally settling with their usual kindness on Hinata. But as Hinata smiled back at her teacher, she saw something else was there as well—

Understanding.

"I'm glad I'm finally getting a chance to see you all together," Kurenai said, gesturing for them to come closer. When Hinata reached her, she offered the baby to Hinata.

"Would you like to hold Asuma?"

Hinata forced back tears as she took the baby in her arms.

An hour later, baby Asuma had been passed to everyone—including an uncharacteristically nervous Sasuke—before returning to Kurenai and falling asleep.

"That's probably enough excitement for everyone today," Sakura said as she took the baby to return him to the nursery with all the other newborns.

"Can Hinata stay with me for a moment," Kurenai asked as the others rose to leave.

"Of course."

As the door shut behind them, Kurenai smiled sadly at Hinata, her hand squeezing her student's supportively.

"I'm so sorry about Naruto."

Hinata didn't stop the tears as they started to fall. She had always been able to freely express herself around her sensei.

"I-I still can't process it all," Hinata wept.

"It will take some time," Kurenai said softly. "You'll have to be patient and understanding with yourself. And you have to _work _at moving on. People will tell you that it will just come naturally, but that's a lie. You have to help yourself along. And, unfortunately, you have to learn the line between helping yourself and _forcing _yourself."

Hinata nodded. "Thank you."

Kurenai squeezed her hand again. "Of course. And I'll be there whenever you need me. You know I think of you as a daughter."

Hinata couldn't hold back the urge to hug Kurenai. As Kurenai stroked her hair just like her own mother had before she had died, she sobbed anew.

"I-I thought I-I knew how to handle grief," Hinata said. "It's like everything in my world is spinning…."

"I'm so sorry, Hinata….It'll start making sense. I promise….I know it's going to be told and told to you, but it really is true: time does help."

Hinata nodded as she let go of her, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "I know…. When my mom died, I thought nothing would ever be completely happy again…but…eventually, it was." She drew a shuddering breath. "And that will happen again."

Kurenai smiled. "Exactly."

The first thing that Obito was aware of was the biting agony of his defeat.

The next was that something was off with his eyes.

As he looked around his tight, barren cell, he saw the metal door on the opposite side. There was a small opening where he could see the back of a guard's head.

"How long," he found himself asking.

"A week."

His enemies must have really beaten into him. Now all that remained was the dull pain of nearly-healed wounds.

"I'm surprised you aren't asking about your eyes," the guard said haughtily.

_How the hell—_

"They're a transplant," the man said before he could ask. "We've taken your Sharingan and Rinnegan. And they yielded quite a bit of information. All you have are regular eyes now."

Obito cursed.

"Not that it matters," the bastard continued. "You'll be dead in two days anyway. We were waiting for Lady Hinata to wake up, and, now that she has, we can bury our hero."

"So the funeral's tomorrow?"

"And your trial's the next day. I can't wait to see who they choose to kill you. Personally, I hope they sick Sasuke on you. I've heard he can do some pretty demented shit."

_Child's play. _There was nothing else he could experience on this earth that was more painful that what he had already known.

"I only got one more thing to say to you," the guard said. "And then I don't want to hear from you again. You still have the rights of any other prisoner, though you don't deserve it. You can have one visitor."

"I have no one to see."

"I figured. People like you always die with no one. It's what you deserve."

For the first time, Obito really wanted to kill that prick.

In the silence that followed, Obito tried to focus on what usually buoyed his heart—Rin. But as he thought of all of his early memories of her, something kept tugging at him, despite his mind's demands.

That Hinata girl's words.

He'd always known that Madara had been after his own aims. But he had been in accord with Madara's beliefs about the nature of the world—that there was no light without shadow. That life was Hell. That only a dream world could possibly counteract all of this.

And yet that girl had said something so obvious that he was surprised that he had never once pondered on it himself.

There was no shadow without _light. _

A simple reversal.

The kind of thing that Rin would notice…and he would miss.

But did that really matter at all? The shadow still existed.

Life was still Hell.

_Would Rin really believe that, _the small part of his humanity—the part that held Rin's memory—asked.

It didn't really matter. He was going to die soon anyway.

_But what if you were wrong? If you are, what will she think when she sees you?_

Obito groaned. It was all absurd.

He had devoted his entire life to Rin, and in that time he had analyzed everything about her that could be analyzed. There was no way that a mere girl could find something that he had missed.

_Then why do her words bother you?_

Obito walked to the door, enjoying the subtle shivering and tensing of his guard.

_All bravado. Predictable._

"I want to see Hinata Hyuga."

**Author's Note: I know it seems like I'm going with the usual Hiashi-is-horrible stereotype, but I promise I have a really good reason for why he chose to do what he did. Also, in case anyone is wondering about Kiba or Shino's feelings, I thought that I should clarify that they both care for Hinata platonically. This is a purely Obihina fic, though I will have to deal with their respective feelings for Rin and Naruto. Thanks for reading! **


	3. Chapter 3

Hinata felt as if her whole body was stuttering as she walked down the long line of mourners. Beside her, Kiba managed to keep her steady, his jaw tight with worry and his eyes ridden with sorrow. As they walked, Hinata kept her head focused on her black shoes, but such a weak action was not for balance.

She still couldn't bring herself to look at Naruto's coffin.

It took several minutes to near the front of the large gathering, where Naruto's closest friends and the important dignitaries were given priority. As she saw her father's profile come into view, her muscles felt their usual, acrid pull as her heart began to race and her veins churned with harsh anxiety.

_You need to look up now, _her mind thought with the first hint of true speed since she had awoken from her injuries the day before. _Father will not want his heir—_

But she wasn't an heir anymore. She was now irrevocably the lacking firstborn. Hanabi truly had been the stronger one.

_But how could that be? I…I almost defeated Obito!_

She frowned at the thought as she passed her father, her eyes affixed to her shoes so she wouldn't have to see his expression.

_How could I always be lacking to those I love… after everything I've done…._

As she sat, Naruto's passing barreled back into her mind, overtaking every other issue in her life, as it had since he had past.

_He didn't find me lacking as a person…._

Tears formed in her eyes as the memory of her confession came to her yet again. She gripped the small handkerchief she had brought with her as she remembered the way she had felt as she had come to his defense—of the odd, but utter clarity and calm that had assailed her as she had decided that she was willing to give her life for him. Luckily, they had both been spared, but now….

_I-I couldn't do anything this time…._

When she had awoken in the hospital after Pain had defeated her, she had been horrified to discover that Naruto had transformed almost fully into the kyuubi, but it was quickly replaced with pride that he had been able to overcome it.

Kiba, in one of his rare moments were he was willing to talk about anything near "girly feelings," had confided that he thought that it was no small thing that her apparent death had triggered the change. She didn't even want to imagine being the impetus for that much pain for Naruto, but, beyond that, she also had her doubts. Naruto had never addressed her confession, even though they had a short respite before the chaos that was the Five Kage Conference and all that had ensued from there….

She smiled to herself as her heart clenched. The feeling had become so achingly customary over the years that she barely noticed it most of the time, but, now that he was gone, she savored the feeling. After all, he had passed, and, soon, she would have to force herself to somehow move on with her life….And to put her love for him in another place in her heart. Even though she was new to such a loss, instinct told her that the longer she was actively _in love _with him, the more damage she would sustain. Love, for all the good it did in the world, was also capable of wreaking systemic damage to those that actively clung to it when it was no longer there in a healthy way.

Steeling herself, Hinata took a shuddering breath.

Naruto's coffin was made of a fine, dark wood. Thankfully, the lid had been closed, obscuring a part of the tragedy from her view. Behind him, the great, blooming statue of the Will of Fire was illuminated by the holy fires that had been lit to its front. Under the shadows of the cloudy sky, Hinata saw the illuminated image of the statue flicker across the varnish of the coffin.

Tsunade sat to the side, her usual Hokage's robe replaced with a black, funerary version. She sat in a slight slouch, her head resting on her chin as tear-swollen eyes gazed at the sarcophagus.

After a long, silent moment, she stood.

"I want to thank all of you who have chosen to come here today," Tsunade began, her voice hoarse. "Naruto would…would have loved to know that so many citizens of this village cared for him." She took a shaky breath, her eyes catching a flicker of their usual fire as she straightened her forlorn posture. "But he also wouldn't want any of us to mourn him for long. And it is in that spirit that I have elected to make this memorial short. After speaking with those closest to him, we have decided to keep our speakers limited to three. Sakura Haruno shall address us first, followed by Kazekage Gaara, and, finally, Hinata Hyuga."

Hinata's eyes widened. Beside her, Kiba whispered, "It'll be okay."

She turned to him, her body shaking yet again. "W-why me?"

"Your words encouraged everyone," he said. He paused for a moment to look at the rest of the remaining Konoha 11 and the Sand Siblings. "And we all thought it was only fitting that you take the third place, since you were the one who noticed him when all of the village—including us—hated him."

Hinata blushed, her heart racing.

To her shame, most of Sakura and Gaara's speeches passed over her ears as she struggled to think of what she should say. But, when her time finally came, her mind was still as clouded when she stood. For a moment, she harkened back to the relaxation training Kurenai had given her to help her overcome her stutter, hoping that it would aid her now. As she began to walk, she took deep breaths, which thankfully helped to clear her muddled mind a little.

Above her, an oncoming storm caused the wind to swirl, lightly blowing the fading leaves of autumn onto the graveyard from the small forest that rested beyond its borders. Hinata watched as a few were caught in the funerary fires and others danced up to the forlorn sky. As she walked and breathed, the pressure to say the right thing for those before her—and to those that judged her—began to drift away as the aching burden of Naruto's passing settled with a mimetic clarity before her.

This would be the last time that she would get to speak before Naruto. In a few moments, he would be in the ground—a slowly growing legend in the land, the flesh fading as the story became immortal.

She had noticed that Sakura and Gaara had spoken behind a podium adjacent to the Hokage, but she stopped behind the coffin, her hand pausing as it began to reach for the varnish, her image silhouetted against the Will of Fire.

"….When you were little, no one noticed just how much spirit you had," she began, her eyes brimming with tears even as she forced her voice to steady. "They only noticed how much trouble you caused," she said with a little laugh, "They did not notice your light….But everyone does now."

Slowly, she knelt, her bruised and cut knees pressing into the concrete. With the gentlest touch, she placed her hands on the coffin as she finally allowed her tears to overflow.

"I love you, Naruto."

After the ceremony, most of the mourners left, leaving the Konoha 11, the Sand Siblings, Kakashi, Kurenai, Tsunade, and a few other, close friends to remain for the burial. As Hinata watched a few of them help lower Naruto into the ground, she was grateful that her mind had chosen to numb itself again, her shock-ridden body allowing her tears to flow with the subdued waves of sorrow as they slowly covered him in dirt.

As she began to walk to the Inuzuka residence with Kiba, Sakura caught up with her. Unlike Hinata, Sakura was openly overcome, her hair stringy, her eyes bloodshot from tears, her clammy hand clinging to Sasuke as he tried to remain steady beside her.

"H-Hinata," Sakura said, her voice strangely hesitant.

Hinata's heart labored to take the extra stress as her stomach bottomed out at Sakura's tone. "What is it," she asked, her voice thin.

Sasuke's eyes were wild as his lover spoke. "Obito has made his request for his one visitor," she said, her hand tightening its grip on Sasuke. "He wants to see you."

Hinata's eyes widened.

"No way," Kiba said, pulling her forward.

Hinata dropped her hand, which had been resting on his arm. "What," she said quietly, her mind churning the information like a weak tide against the sand. "W-why would he want to see me?"

"He didn't say," Sakura said, her gaze wearily meeting Kiba's for a moment. "Listen, Hinata, you don't have to see—"

Hinata felt her instincts shift into an odd acquiescence, even as it fought against her mind's desperate hope that the Uchiha could, possibly, in some way, want to say that he was sorry for what he had done.

"I…I'll go," she said.

It had taken some convincing to get Kiba to let her enter the interrogation headquarters alone, but he had finally settled on waiting outside until she was done. Though she had feigned bravery, Hinata was glad that Kiba would be there to take her home. She still wasn't sure that she could walk the short distance to the Inuzuka residence without succumbing to shaking and stumbling.

Especially after what she might have to handle now.

One of the scariest Konoha shinobi she had ever seen escorted her to the one visiting room in the complex. As he opened the door, Hinata saw that the room was solid concrete, save the one set of metal tables and chairs. She noticed that Tobi had been restrained with several different ninja tools, allowing him to only move his head freely. As the door closed behind her, leaving her alone with him, she went to sit on the remaining chair with as much grace and confidence as she could imitate.

Tobi wasted no time. "How is your light fairing," he said with a strange evenness.

"Why does it matter to you," she asked, hoping to avoid anymore acrimony. She sensed that her emotions were already nearing their limits for the day.

"You said that Naruto's light would never fade," he said slowly, as if he were speaking to a child.

Hinata's eyes narrowed—a rare occurrence. "Why did you ask for me?"

Did she see a flicker of sadness in those eyes?

"I want to know if you remain in the light," he said, his voice oddly even again.

She frowned. "So you want to know if our side truly was right," she said. "You want to know if things like love can still exist after all that you have done?"

"I didn't say that."

Hinata rapped her fingers against her thigh. "Then what is it you wish to say?" She readied her legs to stand, her stomach churning as she thought of another reason why he may have wanted to come: he wanted to torture one more person before he died.

"How is your light faring?"

Hinata wanted to curse as a whimper of frustration and fear escaped her as she stood. "It will _always _be there, Tobi. Love is a very powerful thing," she said, her eyes locking with his. "Not that someone like you would _ever _understand that."

"You know nothing of the life I've lived," he said, the pain and ire in his tone making Hinata turn from her stride towards the door.

Tobi analyzed her for a long moment. "Did Kakashi or Guy ever tell you of my past," he asked.

Hinata found herself slowly making her way back to her chair. "I heard after the battle that you were a part of Kakashi's team when you were children," she said.

"And who was the other member?"

"I don't know."

When his eyes met hers, she saw a deep, painful anger etched within them, along with a strange level of guardedness from a ninja of such high ability—and who had asked her to meet with him.

"Her name was Rin," he said, his voice strangely hoarse, as if he had been carrying a great burden in his mind and the mention of her name only caused it to increase. For a moment, he looked into Hinata's eyes, analyzing her for something. Whatever he saw must have encouraged him, for he continued.

"I met her in the academy, though we didn't interact much at that time….Even then, she was one of those kind people who could notice something important about everyone….And her empathy made her a perfect medic.

"We graduated from the academy in the same year and were placed with Kakashi. I tried to gain her affection, but she always loved Kakashi, though he never really deserved it….On one mission…she was kidnapped. Kakashi wanted to abandon her, but I managed to persuade him." He laughed, but it was without humor. "I've heard in passing that my words forever changed him, but a part of me still can't see it."

He looked towards the corner of the room for a moment, lost in memory. "We were finally able to retrieve her, but Kakashi lost an eye in the process. And, while we were escaping, there was a rockslide… I was partially crushed under a bolder." He lifted the right side of his jaw. "That's how all of this happened….I thought that I was going to die, so I gave the Sharingan in my left eye to Kakashi.

"Rin did it for me, holding my hand and trying to soothe me during the procedure as I screamed." He smiled to himself. "She didn't cry, and she kept her hands steady until she was done, even though I could feel her torment. To this day, I still think she's the strongest person I've ever met."

The smile turned to a frown. "The rocks began to cave in again, and then her hand left mine as Kakashi got her out of there. I could feel the rocks begin to slowly suffocate me as I sat there, waiting for my death in the darkness. At some point, I must have passed out, because the next thing I remember was waking up in Madara's underground hideout. He had barely managed to save me.

"At first, I rejected his principles and vowed that I would find a way out of his hideaway, even though he said it was impossible. It was in that time that he began to teach me what is…reality in this world. That there is no light without shadow. That life is hell….

"Months passed, and, one day, White Zetsu returned from one of his journeys outside…. Rin had been kidnapped again, and one of the tailed beasts had been sealed inside her. Kakashi had rejoined her, and they were on their way to Konoha… but the bastards that had hurt her were on their tail.

"I forced White Zetsu to conceal me and take me to them." He paused, his eyes awash with pain. As Hinata began to guess what was next, a part of her was shocked to be feeling true sympathy for him.

_So that's it….He lost the woman he loved._

It didn't excuse him, but, as she remembered the rage she had felt as she had fought him, she could understand how it could drive a man to desperation.

"Rin felt that she couldn't handle the tailed beast," he said hollowly. "She thought she would release it on the village—as the fucking enemies had hoped." He took a shaky breath, his eyes warring between furry and grief. "So she put herself in front of Kakashi's Chidori."

Hinata's breath left her.

Tobi stared at her for a moment before he spoke. "Life is shadow and hell," he said. "That is what I learned that day….So how are you able to see differently when you have also lost the one you love?"

Hinata didn't care that tears had begun to fall from her pale, lavender eyes or that her heart and body shook with sorrow at the man before her. Even as a part of her rational mind screamed that she had no right to feel sorry for a man who had slaughtered thousands, as she saw him in the flesh, all she could feel was the torment that he must have felt.

"Oh gods," she breathed.

His eyes locked with hers, his voice hoarse as he spoke. "How, Hinata? How are you not overcome?"

Hinata wiped away her tears as she shook her head. "W-what Madara—" forced, is what she ventured to guess, but that was for another time—"told you was wrong," she said. "Shadow can't exist without light, Tobi….And I can't imagine that a woman like Rin would want you to suffer like you have."

Tobi's eyes widened. After a long moment, he said, "Something told me that you…would see something I hadn't."

_Gods, he must have spent so much time trapped in Madara's influence, _she thought. _He never had a chance…. _

Before she could stop herself, she had come around the table and was hugging him, the thin material of her dress pressing painfully into the ninja tools as other parts of her body were met with hard planes of his body. Holding him closer as heavy sobs overtook her, she rested one hand on the back of his soft, black hair, cradling her to him. Tobi tensed.

"Gods…I'm so…y-you…you shouldn't have had to," she sobbed.

At her words, he began to shake as well, his head slowly, mournfully turning into the crook in her neck. She could feel him trying to get closer despite his restraints and she ached anew for him, wishing that she had the power to offer him one last, true comfort on this earth.

_H-he…he's going to die tomorrow._

She barely had time to process the thought as he spoke again. "I…I'm sorry, Hinata," he said, his voice aching with regret. "I should have never done this to you….No one should have to feel the pain that I have."

Hinata stroked his hair, and as she spoke, she knew with every fiber of her being that she spoke the truth. "I forgive you, Tobi."

"Obito…. _Please, _call me Obito."

"I forgive you… Obito."

After a long moment, she knew she had to break from him. As she stood, she could feel the longing for comfort in both their hearts as she wiped the tears from her eyes. They stood in silence for a moment, knowing that the guards had undoubtedly been watching them and were likely very confused by both their actions.

They had little time.

Hinata made her way over to door, pausing with her hand on the austere, metal knob as one last offer of comfort came to her.

"She would forgive you," Hinata said, turning to him. "And she would want you to forgive yourself."

Obito nodded, his eyes locking with hers. "Thank you, Hinata."

Hinata smiled sadly, finding that a piece of her heart had been stitched back together, even if just a little.

"Thank you, Obito."

Hinata was deep in thought as she exited the interrogation center, but that was quickly interrupted as Kiba gently, yet firmly took her arm.

"What did he do," Kiba growled, seeing her bloodshot eyes.

She glanced back at the center, and then nudged her head in the other direction. Kiba begrudgingly agreed to remain silent until he felt that they were out of earshot.

"Alright, Hinata, what did he do," Kiba asked again.

Hinata fought back tears as she retold the story, hoping that he would understand what she had felt.

When she had finished, Kiba raised his brows. "And you actually believe that shit? He's probably trying to use you in hopes that someone will defend him in his trial. Not that it'll do him any good."

Hinata's heart sank at the words, her body shaking despite herself at the thought of the looming trial.

Kiba groaned. "You really are too kind for your own good."

As they walked in silence, Hinata tried to be empirical. Mentally, she agreed with Kiba to an extent: Obito could be trying to manipulate her in hopes of having someone come to his aid. But Kiba was also right in the other regard: it probably wouldn't do him any good.

_Oh gods…._

Hinata stopped trying to appease Kiba's opinion. She knew within her very marrow that what Obito had said was the truth.

_But it's too late for him…_

She could feel her body numbing out on her again, the pressure of Obito's impending death and Naruto's burial weighing on her. Slowly, the Inuzuka residence began to come into view, reminding her of the failure she was to her family—

Sakura walked out of her family's apartment wearing a large backpack.

_Sasuke!_

"Sakura," Hinata called, her legs remarkably stable as she half-raced over to her friend. "Sakura, I need to talk with you."

She could feel Kiba's annoyance behind her. "You're really gonna go after this, aren't ya?"

Sakura looked at her. "What's going on?"

"Where are you headed," Hinata asked, blushing at the necessary breach of decorum. "It's going to take a whi—"

"You aren't strong enough to be doing a lot yet," Kiba said worriedly.

Sakura blushed. "Well, I'm moving some things into Sasuke's place," she said.

Hinata blushed as Kiba raised an eyebrow.

"Already making up for lost time I see," Kiba added dryly.

Sakura grew redder. "I'm his guard, as directed by the terms of his reinstatement as a shinobi," she said. "Though, yes, we do plan on living together afterwards as well."

Hinata tried to fight off a steadily raising wave of jealously. Sakura and Sasuke had certainly been through more than their fair share—they deserved some happiness.

Feeling a little better, she said, "Would Sasuke mind? I don't plan on being over too long."

Sakura smiled. "Of course not." She glanced at Kiba. "And I'm the one who treated her, so I can handle any fatigue she may face. We'll bring her back when we're done talking."

Kiba agreed, cursing under his breath as he headed towards his house.

By the time they had reached the Uchiha estate, Hinata had told Sakura everything up to Rin's death. As she readied to tell Sakura about her reaction—which she had wisely hidden from Kiba—she began to blush, the forwardness of her actions finally becoming clear to her.

"Did you over-exert yourself," Sakura said as they sat down. "You look very red."

"Oh, n-no it's not that," she said, before forcing herself to tell the rest of her tale.

Sakura thought for a moment. "I think he's telling the truth," she said. After another pause, she smiled kindly at her. "And you shouldn't be embarrassed by your reaction. You just did what's natural." She sighed as she looked out into the decadent courtyard. "Wanting comfort is universal. And going without it can be one of the hardest things a person ever has to go through….Obito undoubtedly faced a cruel amount of austerity in his life." She glanced sadly at her. "Before he left, I told Sasuke that, even with my friends and family beside me, I would truly be alone without him….To use Obito's words, these past few years have been a kind of hell for me as well." She smiled at Hinata. "But you were correct. I did suffer, but the light of my friends did help to ease my burden." She quickly gripped Hinata's hand. "And we'll help you through everything with Naruto…and all this with Obito." As Hinata began to blush, Sakura quickly added, "I know they're two different things! But you want to help him. And, as your friend, that makes me want to help him." She smiled. "Plus, I believe him. So, tomorrow, I'll testify in his favor as well."

"Thank you—"

"There's another argument you could make as well," Sasuke said, his sudden presence making them both jump. Beside her, Hinata could see Sakura blush, her expression openly, and self-consciously, questioning just how long he had been listening to them.

"W-what else could we say," Hinata asked.

"The two of us are the only remaining Uchiha," Sasuke said. "My blood alone won't be enough to fully restore the clan."

Hinata smiled. "That's a wonderful idea!"

"My opinion might make things worse, but, if I am asked, I will speak in Obito's favor," Sasuke said, his gaze traveling to Sakura.

Feeling that they wanted a moment to themselves before they escorted her home, Hinata excused herself. As she left, however, she accidentally caught a glance of the couple as she wound her way around the house, leaving the three of them in view of the courtyard.

Sasuke had taken Sakura into his arms, his face nestled in her neck as he stroked her hair and whispered in her ear.

Hinata blushed, loneliness creeping upon her again as she finished her trek to the entryway.

**Author's Note: Sorry this one was so late coming! I think I've got things worked out now to where this will be updated on a bi-weekly basis at the latest so hopefully there won't be any other large delays! And thank you to all that reviewed! It really inspires me! :)**

**Thanks for reading!**


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